Billy has gone to Derby
Last updated : 02 June 2006 By Tony Scholes
An exit from Deepdale has looked almost a certainty ever since they lost the play off semi final to Leeds. He spoke the day after and hinted that his future might be somewhere else but he's hardly covered himself in glory in engineering himself a move to a club he turned down just a year ago.
Preston chairman Derek Shaw allowed him to speak to Derby in the summer of 2005 but Davies opted to stay at Deepdale, but staying put in Lancashire was hardly on his agenda this summer. He was granted permission to speak to Charlton, as per his contract, and he gave us another of his ‘Job done' jigs to celebrate getting the job.
Once again the job wasn't done and Charlton decided against appointing him but that's when Derby moved in again. This time Shaw said no to them speaking to him, this time Davies stamped his feet and threatened to bring the legal people in.
He didn't have a leg to stand on but in doing so he had left the situation such that he could hardly continue as Preston manager, and for the Preston chairman he was left with no real option other than to accept that Davies would be going and to get the best deal for Preston.
That's been done with Derby and this morning Derby confirmed his appointment as their new manager. Preston have done nothing wrong here and are now faced with looking for a new manager just a month away from the start of pre-season training.
Meanwhile Derby, who went about things the right way, have got their man, another manager who showed no respect for his contract or his employer.
